A man posing as a woman carried out an eight-month Internet flirtation with Fidel Castro's son -- and found out the famed security protecting Cuba's leaders is not as tight as it's believed to be.

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CNN's Morgan Neill was among the thousands of residents and tourists fleeing Cuba's coast ahead of Gustav.

HAVANA - Gustav slammed into Cuba's tobacco-growing western tip as a monstrous Category 4 hurricane Saturday while both Cubans and Americans scrambled to flee the storm as it roared toward the oil-rich Gulf of Mexico and New Orleans.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26451955/

*Hurricane Felix rushes to category two
A fast developing system, named Hurricane Felix rushed to a Category Two storm over a short period of time causing minor damages to Caribbean territories, Barbados, St Vincent and the Grenadines and the twin Caribbean Island, Trinidad and Tobago.

Friday, June 22, is officially the longest day, of the year, it also rings in summer, the hottest season of the year.
Each year on June 21st or 22nd, the sun reaches its highest point in the Northern Hemisphere sky, which is referred to as the summer solstice.
Days around the time of the summer solstice are the year’s longest. Even with the year's longest days, however, the hottest weather arrives about a month later for most places in this region.

CARACAS, Venezuela (AFP): Venezuela's legislature voted unanimously to grant President Hugo Chavez the power to rule by decree for 18 months, in the initial vote on a bill Thursday.

The bill authorises Chavez to "rule by decree ... with the force of law," legislative president Cilia Flores said after a unanimous show of hands in favor.

Chavez, in power since 1999, began serving a new, six-year term a week ago, with his allies controlling Venezuela's unicameral legislature.

"We welcome the ... law, with the support of the National Assembly, which backs our leader," said Chavez, the president of the legislature.

http://www.caribbeannetnews.com/cgi-script/csArticles/articles/000052/005243.htm

FORT LAUDERDALE, USA: Spirit Airlines has announced a new nonstop service from its Fort Lauderdale hub to Port-au-Prince, Haiti, beginning March 22, 2007. Spirit will initially offer service three times weekly to Port-au-Prince increasing to daily service on May 1, 2007.

Port-au-Prince will be Spirit’s 14th Caribbean destination and 31st destination overall. Spirit Airlines will serve Haiti with its fleet of new Airbus Aircraft, the youngest in the Americas.

“With the addition of Haiti to our route map, Spirit is continuing to demonstrate its commitment to providing the Caribbean with great, low fare service,” said Barry Biffle, Chief Marketing Officer of Spirit Airlines. “The nearly 250,000 Haitians living in South Florida and millions in Haiti will have a new low fare option for travel.”

http://www.caribbeannetnews.com/cgi-script/csArticles/articles/000052/005238.htm

by Bevan Springer, Amsterdam News

This week, Air Jamaica launches new daily flights to Barbados from JFK Airport in New York, signaling a giant step forward for travel and tourism in the Eastern Caribbean.

Bevan Springer
The new service was recently announced in the wake of the winding up of BWIA West Indies Airways and the decision by its successor, Caribbean Airlines, to drop Barbados from its non-stop New York schedule.

Reaction from the industry has been positive, but some argue that the schedule should have long been in place and others question its commercial viability.

by Isabel Sanchez

HAVANA, Cuba (AFP): Cubans concerned about the health of ailing Fidel Castro - for most the only leader they have known - were kept in the dark by official Cuban media Tuesday, as a Spanish doctor who examined him refuted reports he is near death.

"We would like more specific information, even if (Fidel Castro) does not appear in public; but we would like some message from the Comandante, an explanation," a 20-year-old University of Havana student said privately.

by Esteban Israel

HAVANA, Cuba (Reuters): A Cuban rafter who was sent back to communist Cuba by the United States 11 months ago said on Monday he would take to the sea again in a 19th bid to get to Florida if Cuban authorities do not allow him to emigrate legally.

"I want to go legally. I have earned the right," said Emiliano Batista, a 32-year-old unemployed waiter.

"I do not want to push off into the sea again, but if I have to I will," said Batista whose has been intercepted by Cuban and US Coast Guards or frustrated by engine failure on previous attempts to leave Cuba.

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados: The recent outbreak of malaria in Jamaica has reminded people that malaria, though largely a preventable disease, continues to claim a million lives a year in Africa alone, including nearly 3,000 children every day.

KRALENDIJK, Bonaire: Caribbean mobile telecommunications operator Digicel has announced that it has acquired the mobile business from Bonaire telecom provider, TELBO. Under the terms of the deal, Digicel has acquired TELBO's existing mobile subscriber base, spectrum and base station.

By Guillermo Parra-Bernal

CARACAS, Venezuela (Bloomberg): Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez may have to devalue the currency by 2008 should he fail to curb a surge in government spending, Citigroup Inc. has said.

By Anthony Boadle

HAVANA, Cuba (Reuters): Government posters say "Fidel Castro for ever" and "80 years more," but Cubans now doubt their bearded leader will again govern their country.

More and more suspect he is close to death, even though they have been told little about his condition, a closely guarded state secret, other than that he underwent emergency surgery to stop intestinal bleeding in July and is recovering.

The secret is out and the moment we have all been waiting for is finally hear. Please don't tell anyone. Jay-Z and Beyonce are planning a secret wedding this weekend in Caribbean.

The following was reported on Ireland Online (IOL):